Page holder and bookmarker



Feb. 5, 1957 M. M. GREEN 2,780,481

PAGE HOLDER AND BOOKMARKER Filed Aug. 16, 1954 AmeeAe-rM. 6255M 27 INVENTOR.

ITTOQ/VEV United States Patent PAGE HOLDER AND BOOKMARKER Margaret M. Green, Culver City, Calif.

Application August 16, 1954, Serial No. 450,040

6 Claims. (Cl. 281-42) This invention relates to a device for holding down the exposed pages of an open book. Usually this device would be employed when a person reading a book wishes to lay it down, and to be assured that the open pages of the book will not become turned over for any reason, so that the reader would lose his place. This could readily happen when a person is reading while sitting out of doors in a situation where a breeze could easily blow over some of the pages in the book.

An object of the invention is to provide a device for this purpose that will be readily adapted for attaching it to, or at, the back of the book, that is to say, to the rear of the binding portion of the book where the leaves are bound into the cover; and to provide means for exerting pressure against the exposed leaves of the open book so as to operate effectively, regardless of how far through the book the reading has progressed.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the element that exerts the pressure upon the open leaves of the book can also readily be employed as a place marker in the book for the reader when it is closed.

Further objects of the invention will be evident from a careful reading of the specification and study of the accompanying drawing of this application.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efllcient page holder, which also can function as a book marker.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of the upper portion of a book shown as though lying open upon a horizontal support such as a table or the like. p

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken about in the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and further illustrating details of the invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken about at the level of the horizontal line 3-3 of Figure 1, but with the outer portions of the book cover and the leaves lying thereon, broken away.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the device with the relation its parts have when the book is lying open at a point which is much nearer to the forward leaves of the book than to the rear leaves.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken about on the line 5--5 of Figure 2, and looking upward as indicated by arrows.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 and 2 indicate respectively the two sides or leaves of the books cover which are connected by any usual binding 3 in which the inner edges of the leaves 4 of the book are connected into a binding which may comprise stitches 5 of suitable cord; the binding 3, may of course, operate as the usual back for the book, and when the book is lying open as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, a space 6 occurs or lower end of the head-bracket.

2,780,481 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 between the bindings back 3 and the inner edges 7 of the folios of the leaves. These are also usually covered and secured by an inner binding strip 8.

Referring now particularly to the parts of the invention, it may be said that it includes an anchor-member or anchor-means comprising a relatively long tongue 9 that is applied to extend down between the back 3 of the book and the inner binding strip 8; that is to say, it is passed down in the space 6 between these two parts. At its upper end this tongue 9 extends outwardly beyond the upper edge of the two cover-members 1 and 2 of the book, at which point it is secured to a plate-form headbracket 11. In order to make this connection I prefer to form a flange 12 on the projecting end of the long tongue 9, extending at right-angles to the plane of the tongue, and this flange operates as a seat for the foot 13 This foot is also a flange that preferably is formed integrally with the back part or body portion 14 of the head-bracket.

Furthermore, the head-bracket 11 is preferably formed with two substantially triangular side plates 15 that ex- "ice tend parallel with each other and at right angles to the body-plate 14 (see Figure 3).

Between the two flanges 12 and 13 a substantially rectangular flange 16 extends which is preferably formed integrally on the upper end of a leaf spring 17, and these flanges 12, 13 and 16 are preferably all connected together by a pivotal connection which, in the present instance, is in the form of a rivet 18. This rivet, however, is a free connection, that is to say, it enables the headbracket 11 to swivel on the axis of this rivet.

The head-bracket 11 movably supports a presser lever 19 which preferably is composed of an elongated plateform body 20 with integral flange-means the side edges of which are preferably formed into substantially triangular opposed side flanges or side-wings 21. As shown in Figure 2, these flanges 21 overlie the flanges 15 on the outer faces of the latter, and at this overlapping area a connection is established between the lever 19 and the head-bracket which permits the lever 19 to rock in a vertical plane towards or from the lower portion of the headbracket 11. For this purpose, I prefer to employ a transverse' pin or bolt 22 the ends of which are provided with suitable heads 23 seating against the outer faces of the flanges 15 and 21.

The lever 19 is biased, that is, urged toward the back of the book, and the upper end portion 24 of the lever operates as a handle, so that when pressed toward the left, as viewed in Figure 2, it operates to swing the lower end of the lever 19 toward the right as viewed in Figure 2; that is to say, it can occupy a position such as indicated by the dotted lines 19a in Figure 2; in a position such that the lower end of the lever and its attached parts (to be described presently) will be clear of the upper faces of the leaves 4 of the open book. The location of the upper edges of the leaves is indicated by the dotted line 25 in Figure 2.

The lower end of the lever 19, as shown in Figure 2, carries a presser member 26, illustrated in the present drawing as composed of a thin flat metal plate. This part is mounted so that it can swivel on an axis that is normally vertical, for which purpose its upper edge is secured in any suitable manner to the lower end of a spindle or small shaft 27.

This shaft 27 is rotatably mounted adjacent its lower end in a bearing opening in a horizontal flange 28 bent integrally inwardly from the body plate 20 of the lever 19, and its upper portion is rotatably mounted in the horizontal extension of a small angle clip 29 attached to the inner face of the body plate 20.

When the presser member 26 is functioning to press its inner face against the exposed leaves 30 and 31 of the book, as shown in Figure 3, it extends in a direction substantially parallel with the cover leaves 1 and 2 of the book, assuming that the book is lying open so that the n l f r edb w e t e e e e 3.9 and ilislssatad a utt e m dd p o o a l-1 a e of th b ak- This is illustrated in Figure 3.

But s l st a d i ,Figure4, if t le ve of th bo k are .divided into two se t o s q port ons- 2 and 3 ea y di r n ckn s e he -b ack 1. 311 be swiveledon the axis of. the pin or rivet 18 tomove into an inclined position such as shown in Figure 4. in either ssaa cci p n 3 u r und ne he Pi t bel .2 wi exert force on the part 2.6 .to press it against the exposed pa o th t leaf se t on .32 and 3. When is occurs, of course, the shaft 27 that carries the presser plate 26 'may swivelron its longitudinal axis.

The sh t 27 i p e erab yr vi e w t mea for vield ns bias n it in an upw rd e t n in t guide p i gs n t e ho zo eui slf and 2 (S Figure For this purpose I provide the upper portion of the shaft 27 wi th a small collar 36 against the t nder side of which a coil spring 37 thrusts downwardly against thehorizontal flange of the clip 29. The collar 36 is held in place by a through-pin 38 secured in the shaft 27.

The presser member 26 preferably consists of a rectangular flat metal plate of substantial width. Its upper edge is preferably attached to the shaft 27 at an intermediate point on the platethat is nearer to one end of the plate than the other. And the plane in which this plate lies coincides substantially with the axis of the shaft 27, This enables the part 26 to function effectively also as a book-mark or place-marker because the relatively short extension 26a ofthis part will be short enough to be clear of the stitching of binding cord already referred to, that binds the folios of the book leaves together.

Furthermore, the under face of the guide flange 28 for the shaft 27 is preferably formed with two grooves 40 and .41 disposed at right angles to each other (see Figure 5). When the part 26 occupies the groove 40 as shown in Figure 5, it will be held substantially at right angles to the medial axis of the book indicated by the line 22; and when it is occupying the other groove 41 it will be extended in a plane substantially parallel with the cover leaves 1 and 2 of the book when in its closed position. This is the position of the part 26 when it is operating as a place-marker within the closed book.

One of the advantages derived from the use of this device is that it enables a book to be laid down for a few moments, or for a longer time, while leaving the readers hands free for making notes in a note book.

Many embodiments of this invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Lelaimand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A place marker and leaf holder for exerting presureu n th ex os d leaves of a ok in 9 1 1 1 9 a. swr ortthe c mbin tio of an anch -mem r hav n tongue-form means to be inserted into the binding at the upper portion of the back of the book, with the upper portion of the anchor-member projecting up beyond the upper edge of the leaves, a head-bracket pivotally attached on the said upper portion of the said anchormember for rotation on an axis extending substantially parallel to the tongue-form anchor-means, said headbracket having flange means projecting into the space lying beyond the upper edges of the leaves, a presser-lever with means for pivotally supporting the same on the headbracket to swing about a horizontal axis transverse to the first named axis, a substantially flat plate-form presserplate with means for pivotally supporting the same at the lower end of the presser-lever, for rotation on an axis normally extending substantially parallel with said tongue-form anchoL-bracket, and enabling the presserplate to assume positions inclined to the plane of the open book and resting upon the upper edges of its open pages.

2. A placemarker and leaf holder for exerting pressure upon the exposed leavesof a'book lying open upon a support, according to claim 1, including spring-means connected with the presser lever for urging its lower end to move toward the open leaves.

3. A place marker and leaf holder, according to claim 1, in which the said pivotally supporting means for the saidpresser plate includes a shaft Iotatably supported on the p'resserlever; and in which the presser plate is attached to the lower end of said pivotally supported shaft.

.4. A leaf holder and place marker according to claim 1, including a head-bracket with a back wall and two side walls extending forwardly therefrom; and including a lever carrying the said shaft, and pivotally mounted on aid side w l s 5. Ina place-marker and leaf-holder for holding down the uppermost leaves of 'an open book, the combination of a tongue-form anchor-member adapted to he slid down into the binding of the book from the upper edge of the same, the upper end of said anchor-member having a glaterally extending flange, a head bracket pivotally mounted on the said flange, said head-bracket having opposed wings with a transverse shaft connecting said wings andlocated'forwardly and out of line with the said anchor means, a presser lever-pivotally mounted on said transverse shaft, a substantially flat plate-form presser-plate supported at the lower end of said presser-lever to swivel on an axis in its own plane, thereby enabling said presser plate to assume inclined positions with the end portions of the plate resting upon the exposed leaves of the book.

6. A place marker and leaf holder, according to claim 5, including a coil spring on the transverse shaft for urging the lower end of the presser lever and the presser plate toward, the leaves of the book.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,140; Nolan May 4, ,1897 738,473 Neurnann Sept. 8, 1903 2,089,457 Waters Aug. 10, 1937 

